No
resident of Yuba City holds a higher place in public esteem than does Judge
William E. Tucker, who for many years has served his city and county in various
public capacities notably that of justice of the peace, in which position he
dispensed justice and mercy for twenty-eight years. Born in Morristown, New
Jersey, on the 6th of February, 1845, he comes of an old American
family, established in New England in early colonial days, members of which
moved to Long Island, New York, and thence to Morris County, New Jersey.His father, Freeman Tucker, was born near
Morristown, New Jersey, and became a landowner.However, being a stonemason by trade, he followed the business of
contracting and building.He lived to be
past seventy years of age.The mother,
whose maiden name was Elizabeth Williams Drake, died at a comparatively early
age.She also was born near Morristown,
the old Tucker home standing near General Washington’s headquarters there.The Williamses and Drakes were originally
from Connecticut, though they went to New Jersey from Long Island, where
Grandfather Drake was born in 1800 and died in 1880.It is said that Grandfather Williams was a
blacksmith and toolmaker, and that he lived to be eighty-five years of age.One of his forebears served as attorney-general
of New York.

William
E. Tucker was reared in Morristown, New Jersey, and studied surveying in the
same school with the late Theodore N. Vail, president of Bell Telephone
Company.He was thus engaged when in
1861 President Lincoln called for volunteers to suppress the Southern
secession.Though but sixteen years of
age, he ran away from home, and in November, 1861, he enlisted in Company K,
First Regiment New York Engineers.He
fought in South Carolina; was in Richmond where he saw President Lincoln on
horseback at the front; and was at Petersburg and Burnside Mine.In one of the engagements in front of
Richmond Mr. Tucker was wounded, and in a later engagement again sustained
wounds.He was on the staff of General
Truman Seymour at the bombardment of Fort Sumter April 7, 1863.He served for three years and one month and
was honorably discharged in December, 1864, with the rank of sergeant of
engineers.He had vivid memories of
seeing Generals Butler, Meade and Grant.

On
leaving the army Mr. Tucker returned to his home at Morristown where he learned
the carpenter trade.In 1878 he came to
California locating at South Butte, Sutter County, where he continued as a
carpenter and builder until in 1886 he came to Yuba City establishing a
permanent home.He served as deputy
county assessor under the late W. F. Peck, and also served as chief deputy
assessor, Sutter County, making out the assessment rolls in 1884, 1885 and
1886.From 1887 to 1889 he was deputy
county clerk under A. H. Hewitt.From 1889
to 1893 Mr. Tucker served as postmaster of Yuba City under appointment of
President Harrison.In 1902 he was
appointed justice of the peace of Yuba Township to fill the vacancy caused by
the death of H. C. Grover, and was repeatedly elected, without opposition,
serving continuously until 1929, when, owing to advanced age, he resigned and
is now enjoying well earned leisure.In
1908 he was appointed the first police judge and recorder of Yuba City, which
offices he also held until retiring from public life.

In
1872, in Morristown, New Jersey, Judge Tucker was united in marriage to Miss
Louise Miller, who was born and raised in Morristown, and at the time of her
marriage was a teacher in the public schools of New York City.He was also a singer and elocutionist of note
and upon one occasion during the Civil War sang for the soldiers as they
marched down Broadway, in New York City.Judge and Mrs. Tucker had a son, Henry Freeman Tucker, a musician, who
died, unmarried, in Yuba City, November 6, 1928.He was preceded in death two weeks by his
mother, who died very suddenly in October, 1928.

In
1886 Judge Tucker became a member of the Corinth Post., No. 80, G. A. R., which
he served as quartermaster, adjunct and commander, and also served as an
aide-de-camp on the staff of James W. Willett, commander-in-chief of the Grand
Army of the Republic.Judge Tucker is
the only surviving member of Corinth Post and on Memorial Day, 1930, faithful
to the memory of his deceased comrades, he strewed their graves with flowers,
after which he took part in the parade and was escorted to the seat of honor at
the memorial exercises at the National Theater in Marysville.There he was a conspicuous figure, the only
person present in the uniform of the Grand Army and retaining his soldierly
bearing, despite his years.It is a
matter of family history that his father originally wanted him to study law,
while the dearest wish of his grandmother was that he should study for the
ministry.He has practically functioned
in both capacities, for he has given considerable time to the study of law and
served in a judicial capacity, while he has also officiated at many marriages,
and has performed a number of burial services, particularly the deceased
comrades of the war.During all the
years of his public service of over a third of a century, his actions were
controlled by the highest principles and strict adherence to the law, which in
the enforcing of justice was tempered with mercy.He possesses a broad conception of the needs,
temptations and struggles of his fellowmen and his record as
a jurist is one of which he has just reason to be proud.In the affairs of the community he has
consistently stood for those things which make for the public good and his
fellowmen have uniformly held him in the highest respect.